Conservatives deal with facts and reach conclusions; liberals have conclusions and sell them as facts.

Palin’s bus trip

The Anchoress quite correctly identifies Palin’s bus trip as game-playing. Palin, having been harassed unmercifully by the MSM since she burst upon the national political scene, is finally having her nyah-nyah-nyah moment. She’s turned the tables and is now harassing the MSM, which is very satisfying. The Anchoress suspects that Palin’s nose thumbing will not end well, and she may be right.

I wonder, though, if Palin might not end up reinstating what should be the norm, which is that the media is a news follower, not a news creator. Because she’s keeping the media types guessing, they are unable to engage in their usual trick of shaping the narrative and are limited to actual reporting. As the reporters are quickly discovering, the only alternative to actual reporting is whining. They’re doing a lot of whining now, but they may soon realize is not a tactic that will endear them to a national audience. (Even nasty jokes are hard to come by, as Jon Stewart discovered when he was limited to joking about the media’s whining, rather than his preferred target of Sarah Palin herself.)

So Anchoress is right that this may backfire on Palin herself, but I still wonder if it won’t open a door to the Republicans finally, finally, controlling the media rather than letting the media control them.

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Nose thumbing? I don’t think so (well, maybe a little bit) My take is that she learned the power of withholding in the last election. By pulling back and saying, no, she’s not interested, she guarantees that they’ll become desperate for access–and the MSM has proven again and again that it will pervert its professional ethics for the sake of access. She’s in complete control of this negotiation.

This is the woman I want facing the Russians.

Charles Martel

For now I’m going to compare Palin to Cesar Millan, the TV dog trainer who deals with hardcore canine bad boys. Once the media learn to behave themselves, she’ll start letting them in a bit. And once they step past that threshhold, they know that if they turn on her they’ll never get past it again. Plus, in many eyes they’ll wind up looking venal for having betrayed her trust. (Not that most members of the mainstream media have a whit of honor in them.)

Danny Lemieux

I agree with Kali. I think Palin is several steps ahead of the opposition and building her brand as a very significant power player in the “new” Republican party.

http://ymarsakar.wordpress.com Ymarsakar

What do you think?

Those without spines can’t control anything, even when heroic warriors take the field in front.

How is taking the initiative against the enemy “going to backfire”?

MacG

She may be like the woman that let’s a man chase her until she catches him…OTOH she’s too independent to be in a toxic codependant and abusive relationship. She’s had her bad first date and is leaving them to persue her life, a mark of a leader and like the abusive in a relationship the MSM is at best pouting and at worst planning her destruction…

Mike Devx

The MSM completely changed the rules of the “game” in 2008 when they participated in the coordinated assault on Sarah Palin. For two months, they dropped the mask. I don’t much care *why* they dropped the mask of objectivity. What’s important is that they *did*.

She is justified in viewing them as a hostile camp. Conservatives can’t play the usual game with them, and I commend her for treating them as hostile. She’s been doing so with grace, too, simply circumventing them at every turn, over these months. Good for her! If anyone involved in politics right now has earned the right, it’s her.

She’s clearly firing up her support base, and trying to broaden it. It’s clear she wants to be influential; it’s not clear that she’s actually running for president. I’ll take her at her word: If no one is effectively campaigning for the things that she believes in, she very well may jump in. And why not?

Herman Cain is another who seems to recognize that the MSM game has changed. Despite a few recent missteps, he’s going to remain blunt-spoken and crystal clear. He’s dismissing his inevitable “gaffes” in advance. Whether his approach will work or not – to keep moving him steadily up the chain towards the set of first-tier candidates – we’ll see.

(By the way, I’m not saying the MSM is monolithic, not quite. The Boston Globe goes off the reservation, sometimes startlingly so. In fact they published the expose on Obama’s failed community organizer career in Chicago. And Jeff Jacoby, again with the Boston Globe, recently had a takedown article on AGW hysteria. The Washington Post (!) did a fair, if somewhat dismissive, article introducing Cain to their readers.)

But in sum, I don’t see a lack of grace in Sarah Palin’s actions at all. She’s simply doing things differently. I think with very good cause.

bizcor

If the media was going to destroy Sarah Palin she would now be toast. They have launched eveything they have against her and she is still standing. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Whether she does or doesn’t run she will be a force in the 2012 election. She will probably be a bigger force if she doesn’t run which is why I don’t think she will. She has more spine than most of the politicians in office today.

Care

The Fourth Estate increasingly has not served American citizens. The print media’s negligence coupled with disengaged, unquestioning followers – dare we say, “sheep” – makes for a dangerous potion. To consider them fair and unbiased is laughable. Or heartbreaking. Perhaps MSM is reaping what they’ve sown with their growing irrelevance.

Danny Lemieux

I agree, bizcor. She has sloughed off everything they threw at her and their ammunition lockers are pretty empty. If she chooses to run, which I don’t think she will, they won’t be able to come up with anything new.

Charles Martel

Danny, I don’t see these guys having the ethical chops not to invent something late in the game to try to destroy her before she has time to respond. Also, look at what the MSM did reflexively after that nut job tried to assassinate the Arizona congresswoman. The same reflexiveness will be at work right up till the bitter end in 2012.

JKB

Well, we know she’d never get a fair hearing from the media so why involve herself with them. I don’t think she’ll run simply because she’s the lightening rod. But she is doing the one thing she can do and the one thing we needed most, she is defining the narrative and showing the timid favored Republicans there is a passion to tap into. Herman Cain will probably only be able to accomplish this as well. But they can define the campaign for both sides. None of this normal pantywaisted all ran like the McCain campaign before she came on board from the Republicans. This will about taking back America and the Republicans will get on board or there is a real possibility of a strong third party arising.

The Corner posted a picture of Palin meeting with some people in Dillsburg, PA. She’s on the phone with one of the men’s wives. I posted the comment below and I still think it fits as to what Palin is really doing:

A local’s wife? Well, that’s disappointing.I had hoped she had called the White House answering machine to leave a message:“Hey, Obama, this is Sarah. Just here in PA visiting with some clingers. They aren’t bitter at all but let me tell ya, neither are they going to let go of what makes America exceptional. See ya in the funny papers”

Remember the hope and change that for Obama was hype and chains, well, I think Sarah is redefining the slogan.

jj

I don’t know what she’s doing, but she seems to be having a good time. What else does she – or anyone – need?

roylofquist

Politics, just like foreign policy, is a very serious, very brutal undertaking. The key to exercising power is the ability to punish your enemies and the willingness to do so. They are never going to love you. They can be made to fear you.

Sarah is doing her first bit of dragon slaying on this trip. I believe that that is the primary purpose. As she gets closer to being the big kahuna the press is going to be very wary in their attacks. Being sent to Siberia is the nightmare that haunts them. Greta is there to show them it’s much nicer to be snug and warm in the igloo.

Duchess of Austin

Good for Sarah Palin and I say, more power to her! She’s got those media jackasses flummoxed and they don’t know which way she will go next.

I, too, hope she doesn’t run, staying out to be both the lightening rod and perhaps, the kingmaker. Right now I’m not all that excited over any of the “top tier” candidates.

Personally, I hope Herman Cain makes it to the top tier. He would neutralize the race card right off the bat and then he would take Obama apart in debates. His direct, forthright language would make Obama look like the weasel he is when he tries to rebut Cain and says a lot of words that mean nothing.

Come to think about it, Palin would make a great number 2 to Mr. Cain and then she could run herself after 8 years of on the job training.

The only blowback Palin will receive is the splattered blood of her slaughtered enemies. And rightfully so.

http://phillips.blog.com phillips1938

These comments are great. They show the creative political genius that is Sarah. The metaphors used are wonderful, dragon slayer, revenge, blood…….

Charles Martel

Sarah’s out stirring the pot. She will run for president if what she churns up sets up a plausible run for her. Otherwise, as the Duchess suggests, I think she will be one royal kingmaker.

Oh, by the way, if Cain were to become the GOP nominee, we would be treated to a glorious display of cognitive dissonance as the left attacks him for not being black enough even though he’s twice as black as his mulatto opponent. (Beware of white people assigning racial characteristics, a particularly Democratic pastime.)

Ah, life in Wonderland.

kali

Sarah! What is best in life?
Sarah: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their pundits.

http://ymarsakar.wordpress.com Ymarsakar

Kali, that one was pretty good.

Mike Devx

I agree, Kali! Wish we had a “Like” button for showing special appreciation. I see many I’d like to compliment! But I don’t want to leave too much clutter.

Danny Lemieux

I believe that Sarah has tapped the worst nightmares of the Liberal MSM by rendering them…irrelevant.